Category: Shane Long

Shane Long, born on 22 January 1987, is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Southampton and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Long was born in County Tipperary, Ireland. The most popular sport is hockey in his hometown. He was a talented hurler and appeared in two All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship (Under-18) semi-finals with Tipperary at Croke Park, and was regarded as a pacey and promising forward. Long was also playing Gaelic football at this time.

Long made his appearance in European Football Championship qualifiers in February, 2007, because Kevin Edward Doyle and Stephen William Elliott got injured. In March, he played the match against Slovakia national team. Long became the first person to play both hurling and international football at Croke Park. Long scored his first international goal in a friendly 1-1 draw against Bolivia on 26 May 2007, and won Denmark on 22 August 2007. He was consequently nominated as the Football Association of Ireland Young Player of the Year for 2007.

In 2011, Long replaced the injured player in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonia in Dublin. He scored in a match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 29 May 2013, Long scored his ninth goal for Ireland, a header against England at Wembley Stadium, the second largest stadium in Europe and the standard playing venue of the English national team.

Long signed a four-year contract with Southampton for an undisclosed fee. On 21 July 2016, he signed a new contract with the club, extending his stay with the club until 2020. He scored 8 goals in 32games of Premier League for Southampton, becoming the top scorer.

Although he has been an excellent footballer, Long is a loyal fan of Leeds United. In addition to football and hurting, he also likes playing the guitar and singing. In a word, Long is a versatile footballer.